Emerald Decision

by Craig Thomas

While in Germany to research his new book, American writer Thomas McBride uncovers a deadly forty-year-old secret that not only explodes into deadly violence, peril, and intrigue, but also threatens to reveal McBride's own mysterious past

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Horror Thriller, Action

528 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

David Craig Owen Thomas was a Welsh author of thrillers, most notably the Mitchell Gant series.

The son of the Western Mail rugby union writer, JBG Thomas, Craig was educated at Cardiff High School. He graduated from University College, Cardiff in 1967, obtaining his M.A. after completing a thesis on Thomas Hardy. Thomas became an English Teacher, working in various grammar schools in the West Midlands, and was Head of English at the Shire Oak School, Walsall Wood.

After unsuccessfully trying script writing for radio, Thomas wrote part-time, with his wife as editor, in two fields: philosophical thoughts in books of essays; and techno-thriller genre, which although invention is often attributed to the better-known Tom Clancy, many feel that Thomas was its true originator. Most of Thomas's novels are set within MI.6 and feature the characters of Sir Kenneth Aubrey and Patrick Hyde.

His best-known novel which brought him to global prominence, Firefox became a successful Hollywood film, both directed by and starring Clint Eastwood. After writing his third novel, 1960s Cold War espionage thriller Wolfsbane, he left teaching altogether in 1977. His later books include Snow Falcon and A Different War. Shortly before his death he finished a two-volume commentary on German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

Thomas and his wife Jill had lived near Lichfield, Staffordshire, but moved to Somerset in 2010. He died on April 4, 2011 from pneumonia, following a short battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 68.

Reviews

[Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intensely well-written story about a hidden part of WW2 history connected to a cover-up about spying, minefields and submarines, and nazi connections to southern Ireland (Eire). The storyline is quite intriguing even if some of it is complete fabrication,but it had enough 'real factors' to make it credible. The character development was a little rudimentary but the general plotline was sufficiently complicated to compensate for this. A jolly good read if you like your history somewhat fictionalised, and a rather sudden moot ending leaves you wondering!

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story but let down by a completely unrealistic plot line.
Without giving too much away, various parties believe that an agreement between the UK and Eire will not be signed if events from the second world war are revealed.
First of all the idea that something that happened over 40 years before during a war would have any influence on a modern day political agreement is nonsense. Second, the events that happened could easily be portrayed in a way to strengthen ties between the two countries.

[Caralyn Rubli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very confusing. Two stories, one following the father, one following the son. Both are called by their last name, which is the same. Everyone the dad deals with, the son deals with. I had to keep going back to check whose story I was reading.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF Deadly slow, disconnected pieces of multiple stories. The pieces may all come together nicely at some point, but we all died of boredom before that.

[Joseph Kincaid]

Writing as David Grant
(Read during Valley Hope)

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring. Really outdated in both the actual era this story was flipping between (1940 and 198?) and the quite sadly dated jargon used as even the Wall in Berlin had yet to disappear at the time of this book being written.

Yes, I could see where the invasion of Ireland by the Third Reich could had pretty much been it for Britain and especially early in the war. The I.R.A. involvement wouldn't have surprised me in the least. As they (the Irish for good reasons) do not like the British for past aggressions. If you're not Irish please check your History Books kiddies.

I gave the story Two Stars on the strength of making my gray matter ponder the possibility the siege of Britain may had happened in this fashion. Hitler was too worried about trusting Stalin in 1940 and the Americans had yet been forced into the conflict of World War Two with a False Flag 'We Let It Happen'. Shades of the Gulf of Tonkin incident to make war in Vietnam.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

dependably steady paced but not the greatest thriller ever written